Gravity Falls: Gideon's Persistance
by KyletheCartoonist
Summary: A retelling of Gravity Falls, where Dipper unleashes Ralph, Felix, Vanellope, and Calhoun, Stan reveals his bunker to the kids, and Gideon teams up with The Puppet; and that's just the first day! (Contains numerous crossovers, listed under Wreck-It Ralph as that is the main second category) (Check my profile for a poll regarding the future of this story)
1. The Core Four

**Author's Note: _This story does not take place in any official canons listed. Think of this series as its own separate universe._**

Part 1: The Core Four

"So, uh, kids. How've you been settling in?" Stanford asked his niece and nephew, Dipper and Mabel Pines. "Feel good about spending an entire summer here?"

"I guess." Dipper responded.

"Are you kidding?!" Mabel yelled excitedly,. "This is amazing! I finally have a chance for an epic summer romance!"

"I dunno, Mabel," Dipper replied sheepishly. "I'm just not feeling it. No offense, Grunkle Stan."

"Hey, don't sweat it, kid! Here's a couple bucks. Go visit one of the local stores. Maybe you'll find something to please yourself, huh?" He added with a laughing howl.

"Gee, thanks." Dipper said sarcastically. He decided to take his grunkle on his word. Maybe something in this small town would make himself feel better about spending his summer here.

"Mabel," Stan turned to his niece as Dipper walked out, "Why don't you go and meet some new little girly friends?"

"That sounds fabulous!" Mabel leaped out the door.

"Good." Stan had been looking for a way to get his relatives out of the house for a while. "Now I can plan this out a bit more..." He looked both ways and started punching buttons on his vending machine.

Dipper walked on for a while, and eventually started to get bored. "Well, I for one can't find anything amusing at all. I might as well just close my eyes, spin around, and just walk into whatever I face." He stopped for a moment, wondering if this idea was something he actually wanted to go through with. He had said it in a farce manner, but eventually thought that it may be something he should do. "Oh, what the hey?" He spun around and closed his eyes. Once he stopped, he opens his eyes. "Litwak's Arcade? Might as well give it a try." Dipper walked into the store, where he found it almost completely deserted. "Huh, well, I guess more games for me, then." He looked at the money his uncle gave him. "$5? Classic Stan." Dipper looked around for a game that he thought he would enjoy, when his eyes got stuck on one particular game. "Huh, TurboTime? Might as well give it a try..."

Mabel searched long and hard, but couldn't find anything interesting to her. She looked around for something, anything to do, when she decided to wander into the woods. She walked for a few minutes, and came upon a mysterious building. "The Tent of Telepathy? Sounds like fun! Womp, womp!" Mabel giggled at her own randomness before entering.

"This game is actually pretty addictive!" Dipper said happily. He went to insert another quarter when his hand slipped. When he bent down to look at it, he discovered something carved into the side of the cabinet. "To unleash ultimate power... Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start... Huh, wonder what would happen if I tried that..." Dipper glanced up at TurboTime, pondering whether or not he should go through with it. Eventually, he decided it was worth the try. Anything to make the summer more interesting. "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A-"

"Kid, stop!" Yelled an arcade machine nearby. Dipper turned with a shock to find a character from a game tapping his hands against the screen. "Don't do it!" He looked seriously worried. Dipper, still a bit off-put, decided to continue talking to this character.

"What if I do?"

"It's a long story. Use that code over here and I'll explain!" The character was pleading, now.

"Uh, alright." Dipper responded in shock. He entered the code and the man exited the game. "What's your name?" Dipper asked.

"Oh, uh, Ralph. Wreck-It Ralph." The no-longer game character answered. "And before I explain, I need to enter that code there a few more times..."

So far, this Tent of Telepathy place was pretty cool to Mabel. She had her mind read by the cutest little boy, who even asked her out on a date. _Lil' Gideon..._ She thought aloud. It was better than her Grunkle Stan's stage name, _Mr. Mystery._ She decided to run home and tell her family the good news. Step by step, she rushed to the Mystery Shack, where she found the door was locked. She decided to climb through the window, as only she could. Her sweater, with a star on it, gently brushed against the windowpane as she entered the shack. "Grunkle Stan? Dipper? Hello?" She looked around her grunkle's house-turned-tourist-trap, noting the jar of eyeballs, the hiring sign in the window by the checkout, and the vending machine. "Wait, a vending machine?!" Mabel squealed with excitement. She ran up to it to start playing with the buttons, when the device began to jerk. She gasped, the movement catching her off-guard. Then, the machine began to open like a door, with someone emerging from it. "Grunkle Stan?!" Mabel said in amazement.

"KID?! Uh, hey, what's up?" The con-man asked, obviously trying to cover up what had happened. Before Mabel could open her mouth and refute, her twin brother walked through the door.

"Hey guys, guess what I found out in town?" He asked.

"A woodpecker?" Stan asked.

"Ooh, what?!" Mabel asked excitedly. Stan thanked his lucky stars Mabel had such a short attention span.

"These guys!" Dipper pushed the door open, and a large man in brown overalls, a little girl in a green sweater, a smaller man in a blue cap, and a larger woman in black armour walked in. "Everyone, meet The Core Four!"

"Uh, actually," The large man began, "We'd prefer if you didn't call us that. It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense."

"My bad, sorry. Anyway, this is Wreck-It Ralph." Dipper awkwardly announced.

"Heyo! Call me Ralph!" Wreck-It stood up, smashing his head on the ceiling. "OW MOTHER HUBBER-"

"Pardon my colleague, he's not much for a first impression." The tall woman shot a quick playful glance at Ralph, who returned it with an annoyed glare. "My name is Sargent Tamora Calhoun, but I'd prefer Calhoun." She picked up the smaller man and put him on her shoulders. "This is my husband, Fix-It."

"Fix-It Felix, Jr., to be specific." Felix added, then looked over at his wife and gave her a quick kiss.

"Bleh, right?" The little girl added in. "My name is President Vanellope von Schweetz!"

Stan stepped forward. "Hello, nice to meet you, now buy something or get out."

"Stan!" Mabel interjected. "We have guests in our home! Treat them nicely!"

"Sorry kid," Stan cleared his throat. "Please buy something or please get out." He coughed. "Ugh, that word burns my throat."

"Stan, is it?" Calhoun asked. "I'd appreciate this playful gruffness on any other day, but right now we have something urgent going on."

"That's right," Ralph threw in. "We're here to stop a big issue from unfolding in this small town. Vanellope?" The child democrat took a piece of paper out from her sweater pocket, which featured a triangle with a face surrounded by a wheel full of symbols. The symbols contained a brick, a blaster, a Shriner's fez logo, a pine tree, a star with an eye, the letter 'M,' a tie, a hammer, a shooting star, a piece of candy, and a carrot.

"We found this a few years ago, once our arcade began to decay," Vanellope informed the Pines trio.

"Looks like ol' Gene had more than a few Macarena records in his storage closet." Felix said with a slight smile.

"Don't remind me," Ralph shuddered. "Anyway, we've come to expect that all of the symbols on this paper represent each of us. I'm the brick."

"I'd be the candy." Vanellope stated.

"I'm the hammer." Felix added.

"And I believe I'm the blaster." Calhoun finished. "We figure that the gamer's world might have the rest of the information we need to complete the circle. By the looks of it," She pointed to the Pines, "You're the pine tree, the fez logo, and the shooting star respectively."

"Whoa, hold on." Stan stated. "I don't want to mess around with this sort of thing. Count me out!"

"But Stan!" Dipper turned to face his great uncle. "This is finally the chance to have an amazing summer!"

"Not to mention the riches," Felix jumped down from his wife's shoulder. "Where do you think I got this hammer from?"

"Riches?" Stan clasped his hands together. "Uh, you know what? Excuse me. I misspoke. Typo or something. I'm actually totally in!"

Ralph eyed Stan suspiciously. "Well, I guess that we can count you in. That is, if your 'grunkle' here is true to his word."

"'Course I am! I love treasure- Uh, I mean, helping out!"

"I dunno, I don't trust you farther than Stinkbrain can throw ya!" Vanellope said with a laugh. "But in all seriousness, how do we know you can be trusted?"

Stan stood for a moment, not sure how to prove his worth to this group. "Uh... Tell you what. Follow me." Stan turned around and punched a code into his vending machine. It swung open immediately.

Gideon Gleeful was feeling, well, giddy and gleeful! Not only did he have a great day performing, but he had a date later tonight with the girl of his dreams, Mabel Pines! "This is going to be great. I can't wait to show that little lady how much I care!" Gideon approached the address he had been given. 'The Mystery Shack?' He thought to himself. 'Haven't heard of that one before.' He walked up to the door, knocked, and waited. And waited. And waited...

"This is my secret bunker." Stan told the group, leading them down a dark hallway carrying a lantern. "Watch your head, Hamhands."

"Huh?" Ralph was about to ask furthermore when he hit his head on the ceiling. "Ouch!" He turned to Calhoun. "Why do YOU never hit your head on anything?!" Calhoun shrugged.

"Because I'm not nine feet tall with really big hands." She patted Ralph on the shoulder and continued to walk.

"She had to go there..." Ralph said to himself while he started to walk. Eventually, the group approached an elevator.

"Kids, Vanellope, Felix, you take the elevator. Big Guy and Commander She-phard here will take the stairs with me. The elevator can't take the weight of all of us." Stan uncovered a secret doorway, guarded by an animatronic bear with pitch black eyes that scared everyone except for Stan, who gave a hearty laugh before talking to the creature. "Don't worry about these guys, Freddy. They're with me." Freddy stared at everyone suspiciously for a bit, then relaxed, his eyes becoming more human-like with distinct pupils, irises, and the like.

"Hehe-haha, sure thing, S-S-Stan!" Freddy tipped his top hat and allowed everyone to pass.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" Calhoun asked the bear as she walked by.

"Have you been on the Internet lately?" Freddy responded with a laugh.

"Easy there, Fazbear. Let the lady pass." Stan asserted. The trio descended down the stairs while the smaller four took the elevator. They eventually reached the ground level.

"Alright, tall, dark, and wrinkly, what's the deal down here?" Vanellope asked Stan.

"Don't get your ponytail in a knot. This is all I wanted to show you. Stan opened up another door, where another animatronic popped out, this one appearing like a chicken. "Chica, mind passing me the journals?" Stan told the robotic fowl. Chica, her eyes going through the same transformation as Freddy's, turned around and passed Stan three books, each marked with a number lettered above an 'M.'

Gideon was distraught and upset about being stood up. She showed so much promise, and yet she couldn't even be bothered to open the door?! Insanity! Gideon decided to take his anger out at Litwak's Arcade, a usual hangout of his. When he arrived, he noticed the place was in shambles. He couldn't find anyone, and three of the games looked to be completely ruined. Luckily for him, his favorite game, TurboTime, stood still. He chuckled, remembering the last time he was here. He had used an Ultimate Power Code to release Turbo out into the world. Huge mistake. _Lowered the IQ of the whole town,_ Gideon thought. He popped his quarter in and started to play. Upon starting the game, Turbo looked up at the screen towards the player like he usually did, only this time he saw Gideon and made an angry look. "Are you still mad about me stopping you?" Gideon asked with a smile. "Looks like you're powerless, now!" Turbo got even angrier, then suddenly got a devious smile on his face. He slipped out of his kart and walked offscreen while laughing a creepy, 8-bit laugh. Eventually, Gideon saw a blue spark in the cord leading to a laptop plugged into the wall nearby. He hurried over and saw Turbo enter the desktop. "What are you doing, Turbo...?" Gideon's question was soon answered when he saw Turbo climb into the first application nearest to him;

A desktop shortcut to Five Nights at Freddy's.

"Uh-oh..." Gideon stepped back. A sock doll-esque marionette started to climb out of the screen. Gideon ran as fast as his fat little legs could take him, when he tripped a few feet outside. He turned around and saw the puppet right behind him. Gideon covered his face, ready to receive whatever was going to happen, only... Nothing did.  
Gideon opened his eyes out of shock, and saw the puppet had it's hand stretched out, to help him up. He took it, and the marionette pulled him up and patted him on the shoulder.

"So... You're not going to kill me?" The puppet shook its head. "So, you aren't mad anymore, Turbo?" The puppet shook its head. Again, it put its hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not Turbo." A deep voice responded.  
Gideon jumped back, freaked out. "How... How are you doing that?" The puppet's hand returned to its place on Gideon's shoulder.

"I'm a supernatural element. That Turbo... He didn't stand a chance of controlling me. I made quick work of him. Consider his game 'permanently out of order.'" The puppet turned its head down, making its wooden face look like an angry smile. Gideon was in shock.

"You... You killed him..."

"I prefer the term, 'derez.'" The marionette laughed viciously. "I've admired you for a while, Gideon Gleeful. I do believe that together, we can take over this town!" The puppet laughed. Gideon responded with a smirk.

"Let's start small, shall we?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"The Mystery Shack, destroying the girl who dared stand me up!"

"The 'M!' You know about another symbol?" Felix asked in surprise.

"Unfortunately, no. I've been tracking down whoever wrote these journals with a vigor. Anyway, I wanted to show you guys these because I'm hoping they'll help you figure out more about the secrets this town holds. Specifically, this." Stan took one of the books, marked "2," and flipped open to a page featuring the triangular figure from Vanellope's drawing.

"Says his name is 'Bill Cipher.' Can't figure out how to summon him, though. It's written in some sort of code. I haven't figured it out yet. Now, we're all going to need to work together. I suggest we split up the journals. I'll take Journal 1, Ralph'll take 2, and I guess you can have 3, Dipper." Stan passed the journals out accordingly. Guard these things with your life, and don't let ANYONE take them. These things are our only clues to figuring out who the author is, and I'm not going to let it go to waste because of you two."

The two accepted their journals, and turned to walk away.

"Hold on," Stan said, "You four will probably need a place to stay until we figure this out." He pointed to the four former-avatars. "I'll make rooms for all of you, and in return, you'll have to work at the Shack. Sound fair?" The group shrugged. What was their other option? "Good. I'll get the rooms ready. Felix, you're the handyman. Vanellope, you'll work register. Calhoun will work security, and Ralph can be an attraction along with Dipper. Now, let's get out of here." Stan turned around. "Chica, enable security mode."

"Sure thing, S-S-S-Stan!" Chica said happily, then her eyes turned black again. "Security mode enabled. Subjects: Stanford Pines, Mabel Pines, Dipper Pines, Wreck-It Ralph, Fix-It Felix, Vanellope von Schweetz, Tamora Calhoun authorized access."

"What's 'security mode?'" Felix asked.

"She won't attack you if you enter the bunker without me. That reminds me; don't enter the bunker without me." Stan turned around and began to walk. The others followed suit, with Stan giving Freddy the same orders, and the group being given the same access rights as before. They exited the bunker. "Okay, Ralph and Felix will share a room, and Vanellope and Calhoun can take another."

"Excuse me, Stanford," Calhoun said, "But I request to stay with my husband."

"Request granted, just don't gross me out with all that lovey stuff. Wreck, you mind staying with Dipper?"

"Grunkle Stan?" Dipper nervously said, "I want to stay in a room with Mabel."

"Yeah," Vanellope said, "And I want to stick with Ralph."

"This is why I don't run a hotel." Stan muttered. "Alright, alright. I'll show you all to your rooms."

A while later, everyone was settled in. Felix and Calhoun took a room with a lovely blue carpet, and Ralph and Vanellope took a room Stan explained he previously used to store wax figures. After running down the information everyone would need to know, it was dark out. Stan suggested everyone get to sleep because of all the work they would have to do tomorrow. The kids got changed, and the four newcomers slept in their clothes, with the exception of Calhoun, who took off her armour and slept in her white under-suit.

"Puppet!" Gideon shrieked. "Why haven't we attacked the Mystery Shack yet?!" The puppet returned his hand to Gideon's shoulder.

"It's too soon now. We need to wait, so we have plausibility of denial. Go to sleep, and we'll strike some other day. Personally, I have some things to do." The marionette let go and flew away. Gideon hopped into his bed and prepared to sleep.

"Good luck, Mabel! We're coming for you! Nobody stands up Gideon Gleeful!"


	2. Don't Dare the Dragon

Part 2: Don't Dare the Dragon

Dipper awoke from his bed with a stretch and a yawn. Yesterday had been an eventful day, and he was so tired that he had slept in. He got up, put on his signature look, and glanced at himself in the mirror. _Someday,_ Dipper thought to himself, _I'll tell everyone why I wear this._ He went down the stairs into the main shack area, where he saw Vanellope working the cash register. _Guess Stan told her how to use it already._ Dipper smiled. She did look pretty cute with all that candy in her hair. He walked into the kitchen for his brunch, where he found his grunkle sitting at the table sipping a mug of coffee, reading the newspaper, and eating a piece of bacon.  
"Well, well, look who decided to stop loafing around." Stan pointed to a loaf of bread. "Get it? Loaf around?" Dipper looked at him. "Why ain't you laughing? Don't you get it?" Stan asked, slightly annoyed.  
"I get it," Dipper stated in a deadpan manner as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out a jug of milk, "I just don't find it funny."  
"Everybody's a critic these days, huh?" Stan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, kid, take a look at this!" Stan pointed to a blurry picture in the paper. Dipper set the milk on the counter and looked over. The picture in question was a blurry depiction of some sort of scaly, lizard-like creature. "There's some sorta thing in the woods. I figured we could rustle it up and bring it to the shack!" Dipper glanced over at his uncle.  
"Really, Grunkle Stan?" Dipper accused the elderly man. "Is making a cheap buck at the expense of innocent creatures that important to you?"  
"Yes," Stan said, "But I was also thinking it could be some sort of clue towards that wheel Vanellope and the gang showed us. If we want to figure this all out, we'll need some sort of lead. Maybe this monstrosity is it!"  
"I dunno," Dipper said as he began to pour cereal, "It seems kind of dangerous."  
"That's why we take HamHands, Master She-if, and Hammer Guy! Defense and protection!" Stan explained.  
"Well-"  
"C'mon, Dipper, don't you want an exciting summer?" Of course, Stan would draw that card. Dipper's Achilles' Heel. He sighed.  
"Fine, Stan, I'll get ready after breakfast." Dipper couldn't believe himself, throwing logic to the wind in search of a cheap thrill. Though, if he was being honest with himself, he'd always wanted to meet a dragon, and part of the picture looked like distinguishable wings. This might be his chance!

A while later, Dipper had gotten dressed and met up with Stan, Mabel, Ralph, Felix, and Calhoun. Vanellope, despite her passion in attending, had the unfortunate responsibility of watching the Shack in case some tourists came by. Ralph was holding Journal 2 in the palm of his left hand, flipping through with his thumb.  
"Now," the over sized ex-villain began, "It says that lizard-like creatures, such as dinosaurs, dragons, and certain monsters, tend to exist in the Gravity Falls Forest." He closed the book. "Has anyone been to the Gravity Falls Forest?"  
"I have!" Mabel yelled. "I don't remember any lizard creatures, but I _do_ remember how... Firey it was in there!" She giggled. "Firey. I'm adorable." Dipper sighed at his sister's expense.  
"Well, Mabel, I guess you're our guide, then." Dipper went behind his sister and allowed her to lead the way. Mabel, feeling important, skipped ahead merrily.

Gideon Gleeful had snuck out of the Tent of Telepathy, against the puppet's recommendations, and was headed to the Mystery Shack for revenge on Mabel. _Thinking she's too good for me,_ Gideon thought, _I'll show her!_ He arrived at the Shack, and peered through a window. Inside, he saw a silhouette of a young lady, roughly his age, sitting at the counter, her hands behind her head and her feet on the table in front of her. _Mabel..._ The name now rushed adrenaline through his bones. _Time for injustice to be served..._

"I hate to sound picky," Ralph told the group, "But we've been walking for hours now. Some of us aren't wearing shoes, you know."  
"And who's fault is that, CubeToe?" Stan retorted gruffly.  
"He has a point, Stan," Dipper said, then turned to his sister. "Where exactly are we going, Mabel?"  
"I thought we were just exploring the woods!" Mabel responded innocently. "Besides, a nice nature walk is good for the heart and mind!"  
The group groaned.  
"Well, maybe we-" Calhoun began before being stopped by her husband.  
" _Do you guys see that?_ " Felix whipsered and pointed to a large purple winged creature chewing on a fish. The team crouched down to avoid being seen.  
" _What is that, a woodpecker?_ " Stan asked, squinting.  
" _No,_ " Ralph flipped through his journal. " _It's a dragon!_ "  
" _Alright,_ " Calhoun turned to Ralph, " _How do we approach it?_ "  
" _Doesn't say._ "  
"Guys!" Mabel said. "You do it with love and care, like any other animal! Observe!" Mabel stood and ran over to the mythological beast.  
" _Mabel!_ " The group all said simultaneously, but it was too late. Mabel was already at the creature's face.  
"Heyo, buddy! What's your name?" Mabel happily asked. The dragon glanced up at her, but Mabel seemed unmoved. It got up and circled her a few times, making her laugh. Eventually, the dragon returned to his spot in front of her, and answered her question."  
"My name," he told her, "is Spyro."

"Oh, PUUUUUPPET!" Gideon taunted. "Look what I've got here!" He dragged a large sack into the tent. The puppet looked over and touched Gideon.  
"A sack of laundry?"  
"No, you floating slinkweiner! It's that Mabel girl!"  
"I doubt it."  
"That's because you're jealous of my knowledge! Observe, if you will, the _proper_ way to get revenge!" Gideon emptied the sack on the floor and was greeted by...  
"Wait, you're not Mabel!" Gideon shrieked.  
"Knew it." The puppet retorted.  
"You're darn right I'm not Mabel," the girl said, "But if you don't show me the way out, I'm gonna show you what happens when Ralph gets involved!"  
"Ralph?" Gideon asked.  
"Ralph..." The marionette thought over their bickering. "The large handed man... I believe he is an asset to myself... And I wouldn't even need to possess him..."  
"Alright, look," Vanellope finished, "Just point me outta here, and we can put all this behind us, alright?" The puppet flew over and touched her shoulder.  
"I'm afraid we can't do that," it told her, "You know too much."

"Spyro, huh? Pretty cool!" Mabel told her new dragon friend.  
"I'd hope so," Spyro told her. "It's the true name of a hero."  
"Of a hero? Are you a movie star?"  
Spyro chuckled at her innocence. "No, I'm not a movie star. I'm the hero of the Dragon Realms. Just recently, not only did I save my world from Gnasty Gnorc, but the world of Avalar from Ripto as well!"  
"That is, like, so cool!"  
"Anyway," Spyro looked past her, "Who are those people staring in awe?"  
"Oh, let me introduce them!" Mabel turned around and cupped her hands over her mouth. "HEY, GUYS! IT'S OKAY, HE'S FRIENDLY!" The group walked over, still in incredible disbelief. "This is my brother, Dipper!"  
Dipper stepped forward. "Uh, hi..."  
"He's not much for a first impression." She told Spyro, who nodded in response.  
"Ahem," Stan cleared his throat, "My name is Stanford Pines. Pleasure to meet you." Stan stuck his hand out for a handshake. Spyro laughed at him.  
"Dunno if you noticed, Pops," Spyro smiled, "But I don't have hands."  
The rest of the group introduced themselves, and they all sat around their new dragon acquaintance.  
"So, Mr. Spyro," Felix began, "What are you doing in these parts?"  
"Well, Fix-It, I'm here on surveillance duty. Word is that someone around here has unleashed a terrifying supernatural nightmare, so the Dragon Elders sent me here to make sure everything was up to snuff. So far, I haven't seen anything unusual, with the exception of one thing, if you'll follow me." Spyro got up and lead the way. Mabel giggled how his wings swayed to and fro as he walked. Eventually, the group came across a large tent.  
"I tried coming here earlier," Spyro explained, "but nobody was around. It seemed too 'lived in' to intrude."  
Just then, a loud screech was heard from inside the tent.  
"Vanellope!" Ralph knew that sound anywhere. "I'm coming for ya, kid!" He ran inside.

"Quiet down, brat!" Gideon commanded. "Someone'll hear you!"  
"Too late, Pillow Hair." A voice said. Gideon turned around to see Ralph, fists out and ready to fight.  
"Ralph!" Vanellope yelled before Gideon gagged her.  
"Ooh, shoot, Ralph. I'm afraid you just ruined the surprise of going home and finding out your daughter is missing."  
"She isn't my daughter," Ralph walked towards the little man menacingly, "But I do have a surprise for you." Ralph raised his fists above his head, ready to beat the glee out of Mr. Gleeful.  
"Puppet! Do something!" Gideon screamed, covering his face. Ralph lowered his fists, but didn't make contact with Gideon. Instead, the marionette caught his fist and held it still.  
"Hello, Wreck-It Ralph. We've been expecting you."

"Y'know, we probably shoulda followed Ralph into that tent, huh?" Stan brought up.  
"I need to make sure the coast is clear." Spyro informed the con-man. "Don't want to risk anything."  
They heard another sound. The unmistakable noise of Ralph's fists connecting a hit.  
"Okay, that's it." Dipper said. "I'm going in."  
"I suggest we all do." Spyro got ready to pounce. "They're about to feel the burn." Spyro charged headfirst into the tent. The group ran in after him, only to find that there was nobody around but a large, fox-like animatronic. It was decked out to look like a pirate, with an eye-patch and hook hand.  
Mabel looked around. She secretly knew what this place was, but was too ashamed to tell anyone. She knew why this was happening. She stood Gideon up, so he tried to get revenge. Of course, any chance at a relationship was doomed, now. This was inexcusable. However, she did owe it to everyone to at least explain what had happened. She took a deep breath.  
"Guys-"  
"MABEL PINES DETECTED" The fox sprung up. "ATTACK ON ACCOUNT OF GIDEON GLEEFUL AND THE MARIONETTE." It sprung at her, but Spyro stood in the way and blocked it with his horns.  
"Go! I'll hold him off!" Spyro stayed there, the horns and spikes on his head keeping the fox from chomping down.  
"But Spyro-"  
"I SAID MOVE." Spyro began to strain. Talking was too much effort, and he was clearly evenly matched with this pirate fox. The group did as they were told and moved along, trying to hurry up the process for Spyro's sake. They emerged in a room with two hallways. A red hallway was on the left, and a blue one was on the right.  
"Well," Stan said, "That was an interesting development."  
 _Yeah..._ Mabel thought. _And it's all my fault..._  
"Anyway," Dipper pulled out Journal 3, "Let's split up to cover more ground. Stan, you go with Felix. Mabel and Calhoun, I'll go with you. It's best if at least one of us has a journal." Everyone nodded and split into the groups. Stan and Felix took the left hallway, and Dipper lead the way for Calhoun and Mabel.

Stan and Felix had been walking down the hallway for a while now. Felix began shaking, and it was annoying Stan.  
"Alright, Little Guy," Stan finally said, "What's your problem?"  
"I'm just a little worried... What if we don't find Ralph and Vanellope?"  
"Don't talk like that. We'll find them." Stan said gruffly. Felix looked around, still keeping his worries in mind. Eventually, they reached a door and found something that made their jaws drop.  
...Nothing.  
"It's just... A large, white void!" Felix stated, flabbergasted.  
"Well... Uh..." Stan was at a loss of words. _If only I could figure out how to do this for the Mystery Shack..._ He thought with a playful smile. They went to turn around when they found a large figure overlooking them.  
"Jimminy jamminy! What in creation are you?" Felix, again, was amazed.  
"It's some sort of... Large... Floaty... Children's toy." Stan said, squinting. The toy touched its hands to their shoulders.  
"I suppose you could say that." It said, lowering it's face to look like one of anger.  
"Uh-oh..." The boys said simultaneously. This must be that marionette the pirate was talking about. Looks like things were about to get bad for them.

Dipper walked ahead with the journal in his hands, while Calhoun walked further behind with her blaster at the ready. Mabel, however, was holding her head down in shame. After a while, she looked up at Calhoun.  
"Hey, uh, Tammy?"  
"Yeah, sugarfluff?" Normally, Calhoun hated when people called her by her first name, much less Tammy. However, her and Mabel had already developed a strong friendship, and Calhoun figured that Mabel was just the type of person to use these playful nicknames. So, she allowed it.  
"I wanted to ask you something." Mabel never looked up. This began to worry the sergeant, as Mabel always made eye contact with her big, puppy-dog eyes.  
"What's up, kiddo?"  
Mabel looked up at Calhoun and waved for her to come closer. Calhoun, at first cautious about letting her guard down, decided to go through with it anyway.  
"I... I'm the reason this is happening!" Mabel wailed. Dipper stopped walking and looked behind at his sister. It wasn't like her to so much as cry, let alone blame things on herself.  
"Mabel, don't be ridiculous." Dipper said worryingly. "This isn't anyone's fault."  
"Yeah!" Mabel buried her head in her hands. "It's mine." So, the trio sat down and decided to let Mabel tell them her story.

"What's the plan, Short-stack?" Stanford asked his miniature colleague.  
"Try to survive." Felix responded quickly.  
"I like that, that's a good plan." Stan responded. The puppet once again put its hands on the two men.  
"But don't you want to see your friends?" The marionette asked.  
"Yes-" Felix began.  
"NO." Stan said. "We want to see *Ralph* and *Vanellope* specifically." He put his fists on his hips. He knew how to outsmart those sort of questions.  
"Oh, you ruined my plans. What a shame." The puppet laughed. "Looks like you'll have to be punished." He snapped his long, tapered fingers, and Stan and Felix were back at the Mystery Shack.  
Felix started to worry. "What... What'll happen now?"  
"Don't... Uh... Don't worry..." Stan stammered. "We'll all, uh, be reunited..."  
Felix looked over at Stan. "You're lying."  
Stan sighed. "...Yeah..."

Spyro and the fox were very evenly matched, however the robot did have a single advantage; it wasn't human, so it didn't run out of energy. Spyro, on the other hand, was exhausted. However, he didn't want the mechanical canine to know this.  
"Don't you know what they say?" He taunted. "Don't dare the dragon!"  
"Yar-har-har! Look-Look-Looks like old Foxy is going to claim another victim!" The robot laughed, obviously not fooled by the purple dragon's comment. Spyro, however, began to think. Foxy. Why did that name sound familiar?  
"Hold on!" Spyro felt Foxy's jaws let up, and Spyro pulled his head back. "What did you say your name was?"  
"F-F-F-Foxy. The Pi-Pi-Pi-Pirate Fox."  
"Foxy the Pirate Fox? THE Foxy the Pirate Fox?!" Spyro was in awe. "Dude, you're a legend in the Dragon Realms!" Foxy cocked his head to the side.  
"I-I-I am?"  
"Yeah! We share the story of your voyages with our newborns since the day they hatch! I've personally been a big fan of the Fight of '87!"  
"Aye, a story-telling man!" Foxy's guard was completely down, as was Spyro's. The two were no longer fighting like adversaries, and now sharing tales like old acquaintances.  
"Totally! But... I thought Foxy the Pirate Fox took orders from no man?" Spyro asked.  
"Aye..." Foxy's head dropped. "'Tis used to be the case. Once the story of Fazbear's Diner got out, we all had to scram. Me, Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica... All lost and separated..." Foxy seemed very upset. "This was my only way of staying in-in-in-in service..."  
Spyro, however, lit up.  
"Foxy, I think I can help out!"  
"Aye?" Foxy cocked his head again.  
"Yeah! The Dragon Realms is full of portals! I'm sure locating the rest of the Fazbear team won't be difficult at all!"  
Foxy light up and laughed a strong, hearty pirate laugh.  
"Well, matey, in that case, I be aidin' ye on your quest." Foxy pulled out a locator. "This should be tellin' where all ye friends are. Spyro looked at the locator and knew where he needed to go. "I think we'd best round them up!"  
"Wait," Spyro asked. "Where did you get a locator?"  
"How do you think I kept an eye on the night guard?" Foxy laughed.  
"Well, in that case, let's go!" Spyro knelt down. Foxy jumped on the purple dragon's back. "First stop: The Mystery Shack!"

"Face it, Felix, we're done for. It's all over." Stan sat down, defeated. "No hope, no luck, everything's gone." He buried his face in his hands. "Summer's over."  
Felix looked over at Stan. "Don't give up yet, Stan! I'm sure if we go back over and try the other hallway, everything will be alright."  
"Would you open your eyes?!" Stan yelled, looking up. "Nothing is going to be fine. Even if we go back, we'll have to put up with that darned fox-thing! The only way we're getting back in that tent is if some sort of miracle happens." Stan got up and went to leave. Felix, a bit hurt by these words, decided to speak up.  
"You can suit yourself, Stanford," Felix, for once, was being confrontational, making Stan stop in his tracks. "But I'm going back to help our friends. Whether or not _you_ are is your decision." With that, Felix walked out and slammed the door. Stan, still reeling over what just happened, was now alone with his thoughts.  
 _Took guts, yelling at me like that. But is it a lost cause?_

"And that's why this is my fault..." Mabel's tears began to dry. "My own forgetfulness might cost Ralph, Vanellope, and Spyro their lives..." Dipper and Calhoun looked at each other.  
"Kid," Calhoun turned to the crying twin, "If there's one thing life has taught me, it's that letting go of something you've done is hard." Calhoun lowered her head. "I lost a fiance that way once..."  
"What do you mean?" Dipper looked at the tough-as-nails commander. "You have Felix, don't you?"  
"Yes, but he wasn't my first love." Calhoun admitted. "There was another. Brad Scott. I fell for his adorable eyes, heroism..." Calhoun looked up and saw the twins, incredibly confused looks on their faces. "Nevermind that, though. The point is, it's always been my job to perimeter check Hero's Duty. The one day I decided to skip doing so was the same day I lost Brad forever..."  
Mabel had tears in her eyes again. Sure, she messed up too, but Calhoun's errors cost someone their _life._ Mabel stood up, a new fire in her chest.  
"Come on guys," She said in her ultimate I'm-totally-heroic voice. "Let's save Ralph and Vanellope!" She held her fists in the air, running forward. "CHAAAAAAAAAARGE!"  
Calhoun laughed. "Gotta love her enthusiasm," she told Dipper.  
"That's my sister." Dipper smiled as they followed.

Foxy and Spyro arrived at the Mystery Shack, where they were confronted by a guilt-ridden Stan.  
"Oh, you two." Stan muttered, completely desensitized from Foxy's appearance. "Here to tell me how pathetic I am?"  
"Stan," Foxy began, "How ye be feelin' don't matter none. It's time to help yer crew."  
The elder considered this for a moment, then said, "You're right, fox-like robot! Let's do this!" Stan ran out the door. Spyro and Foxy smiled to each other and ran towards the tent.

"Gideon!" Mabel yelled.  
"Mabel!" Gideon turned and sneered. "How _dare_ you intrude my home, tamper with my animatronic, and-"  
Mabel approached Gideon menacingly. _Oh, my..._ Gideon thought, terrified. _She's awfully scary when she's angry..._ The girl in question walked right up to Gideon and grabbed him by his collar.  
"Where are they?!" She yelled in his face.  
"Who?" Gideon asked, terrified.  
"RALPH AND VANELLOPE!" She screamed.  
"Oh, they were with you? Uh, my bad. Puppet!" The marionette floated over.  
"Free our captives!" Mabel tightened her grip. "Please!" Gideon squeaked.  
The puppet had a lot going through his mind, so it stayed in one spot for a moment.  
"While we're young, Kermit." Mabel snarled through gritted teeth. The puppet shook its head and retrieved their friends, who were beaten and bruised. Mabel let go of Gideon and brushed her sweater. "Pathetic." She stormed out, leaving Dipper, Calhoun, and the recently arrived Stan, Felix, Foxy, and Spyro in complete and utter shock.  
"Well..." Felix said as Mabel stormed past him, "That was... Unique..."

A while later, the Mystery Shack crew was gathered around a portal, seeing Spyro off as he returned to the Dragon Realms.  
"Are ye sure I can-can't join?" Foxy asked. Spyro turned to face him.  
"Not yet. I'm going to need you to stay in this world for a while while I discuss what's happened with the Dragon Elders." Foxy's head dropped. Stan walked over and put his hand on the pirate's shoulder.  
"Don't worry, Foxy! I have some other animatronics to keep you company in my basement!" Foxy turned his head to look at Stan.  
"Do ye?"  
"Of course! I have a bear named Freddy, and a chicken- er, uh, duck... Thing... Named Chica!" Foxy perked up with joy.  
"Ye do?! They be part o' me cr-cr-cr-crew!" Foxy was overjoyed. Now, his only concern was finding Bonnie!  
"Well, there you go!" Spyro said with a smile. "I'll bet Bonnie is here in Gravity Falls as well!"  
"We'll help him look!" Mabel laughed. Her earlier burning rage was now replaced with her usual happy-go-lucky nature, much to the relief of the others.  
"I'll be sure to come back sometime!" Spyro announced as he flew into the portal. The entire crew wished him farewell as he went.  
"Welp, time for bed." Stan said. Everyone agreed with him, and they were all soon back within the walls of the Mystery Shack. Stan took Foxy to reunite him with his pals, and Felix was in Ralph and Vanellope's room fixing their wounds with his hammer. A while later, around midnight, there were the sounds of footsteps shuffling through the house. Calhoun, still a bit restless from the day's events, was in the kitchen drinking some milk. She heard someone coming down the stairs, and soon the owner of the footsteps was in the room with her.  
"I like your nightgown, Mabel."  
"Thanks, Tam." She responded. "I just wanted to talk to you. Alone."  
"Sure thing, sugar-cheeks. What's on your mind?"  
"I just wanted to thank you. For your story earlier. Really helped get my mind back on track."  
"It's no issue at all, kiddo." Calhoun smiled. Mabel then did something incredibly unexpected from the both of them; she ran up and gave Calhoun a hug. Normally, Tammy couldn't stand hugs, save for Felix, but something about the hug of someone this small just felt... Natural. She couldn't explain it. Mabel looked at her, smiled, and ran off, presumably to her room. Calhoun, however, just sat there, smiling. There was only one thought going through her mind.  
 _Tomorrow, I'm gonna need to talk children with Felix._


	3. Not My Business

Part 3: Not My Business

Vanellope awoke around 8:30 AM. As per her agreement with Stanford, she had to wake up an hour before the opening time to help set up merchandise, and in return Stan allowed her longer breaks than the rest of the Mystery Shack Staff. During these breaks, she basically did whatever she wanted. Sometimes she'd catch up on her sleep, and other times she'd chat with Dipper. _Dipper..._ She thought. _He's always so paranoid. Just all like, 'oh no, look out for the unnamed horrors of Gravity Falls! Guaaah!'_ She laughed at herself. Of course, she liked that about Dipper. _Y'know, come to think about it,_ She thought to herself, _There's not really a whole lot I_ don't _like about Dipper._ Before this thought could blossom, however, her train of thought was derailed by a sound she still hadn't gotten used to at this point;  
Ralph's snoring. Vanellope usually lived on her own, with Game Central Station between _Sugar Rush_ and _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ to drown out the sound of Ralph's snoring. However, since they were roommates now, Vanellope would have loved more than anything to walk over to his bed, poke him awake, and complain. _Your snoring is so loud, I literally can't hear myself think, Stinkbrain!_ She'd say. Unfortunately, however, Ralph was still entitled to a full half hour of sleep. _Lucky._ Vanellope smiled. She didn't actually have a problem with it; hey, if she didn't like it, she never would have agreed to waking up so early. Vanellope got up and walked out the door. Her and the rest of the Litwak gang still hadn't gone shopping for clothes, so they had to do everything with what they wore on their backs. _Why bother shopping for clothes,_ she thought, _when we won't be here for much longer, anyways?_ She walked down the stairs into the Shack's lobby, where Stan was opening a box of the same pine tree hats that adorned Dipper's head.  
"Rise and shine, Code-Breaker!" Stan greeted. Vanellope groaned, hoping she'd find his horrible puns bearable sooner or later. "Anyways, kid, I've got some things to do down in the bunker. Just making sure Foxy and the rest of the crew are alright. You mind finishing up with these last two boxes?" Stan pointed to the box in front of him, as well as one over to the left of the store.  
"No problem, Stan." Vanellope said with a yawn.  
"Kid, how many times do I gotta tell ya, call me 'Grunkle Stan!'" He responded. Ugh, this again? Stan seemed to have this weird idea that she was going to be staying with him at the Shack as some sort of adopted great niece. Yet, no matter how many times she told him that it was just temporary, he still insisted that she call him by what the twins call him.  
"Stan-"  
"Uhp!"  
Vanellope sighed. " _Grunkle_ Stan, I already told you that I'm not staying! Once we figure this wheel thing out, the gang and I are going back to the arcade!" Stan wasn't listening. He was already punching the code into his vending machine.  
"I dunno, go ask Dipper." He said absentmindedly. A few seconds later, the door slammed shut and Vanellope was on her own again. She sighed and continued to unload the boxes. She looked over to the wall on her left and saw a mirror. Checking to make sure the coast was clear, she walked up to it and put one of the pine tree hats on. She giggled at how she looked. _Look at me, I'm Dipper von Pines!_ She laughed to herself.  
"What's so funny?" A voice from her right asked. Vanellope jumped, and saw Dipper himself standing there, fully dressed, with a playfully-unamused smile on his face. "Does my hat really look that bad?" He joked.  
"Yep," she played along, "And I'll bet it smells worse than Ralph's armpits!"  
"I think so, too. Why don't you check for me?" Dipper took his hat off and shoved it in Vanellope's face.  
"Ack!"  
"Sniff it, sniff it!" The two kids were laughing and walking around, when Vanellope tripped over another box needing to be unloaded. She slipped and fell, with Dipper landing on top of her. The two kids just sat there, not sure what to make of it, when suddenly they heard a gasp and a voice.  
"Look who finally got together!" It was Mabel. She was always teasing the two about their quote-unquote 'romantic tension,' but it was really annoying whenever she did. Annoyed by it, Dipper and Vanellope knew what to do. They got up and walked over to Mabel, who started to run. She knew exactly what was going to happen. She tripped with a thud, and the two kids pinned her down, tickle attacking her. "Guys, stoppit!" She said between laughs.  
"Stop teasing us about each other!" Dipper said with a snicker.  
"Ne-he-he-hever!" Mabel was in tears, now. Unlike her brother, Mabel was still in her thin-layered pajamas, leaving her sides little defense from the tickling onslaught.  
"Then it looks like we're gonna have to keep going, Einstein!" Vanellope told the struggling twin.  
"What are you kids doin'?!" Grunkle Stan's voice boomed over them. They must not have heard the vending machine over Mabel's giggling. "Vanellope, get back to unloading! Kids, why are you up so early!"  
"I came down because I noticed Dipper was gone." Mabel said, eyeing her brother.  
 _Note to self,_ Dipper thought, _Come up with a better torture plan. Tickling has proven to be ineffective._  
"Why were you up, then?" Stan asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"Well... Uh..." Dipper stammered. _I know the reason, but I'm too embarrassed to say..._  
"Actually, I don't care. Just stay outta the way while Sweet-Tooth over there unloads. I don't need any more of... Whatever THAT was." Stan walked outside, obviously going to sneak in a few Pitt Sodas in the sun before the Shack opened. Dipper and Mabel walked upstairs to get ready for the day.  
"I care what you were doing up so early." Mabel nudged Dipper's shoulder.  
"Do you need a repeat of what just happened? I'll get Ralph to hold you down." Dipper said, monotone.  
"Nevermind." Mabel's arms darted back to her sides.

"Come one, come all, to see the amazing Human Warthog!" Stanford announced, under his show-name of Mr. Mystery. He unveiled a curtain, where Ralph stood dressed entirely in brown clothing, fake nose and teeth included.  
"I'm gonna wreck it!" The crowd gasped, falling for the otherwise-obviously-fake attraction.  
"Get a picture with it for a measly $100!" Stan announced. As usual, the crowd all paid up-front and took pictures. Stan smiled.  
"Disgusting." Dipper said, looking on with Vanellope. "How can you stand to let him treat your best friend like that?"  
"Well, it's really not my call, I guess." She replied. "If Ralph had a problem with it, then he'd speak up. He doesn't mind being made fun of by Stan, because he knows it's for a good cause. He humiliates himself, and in return, we all get a step closer to solving this wheel. Pretty heroic, if you ask me!"  
"I guess," Dipper rolled his eyes, "But I still don't like it."  
"Didn't think so." Vanellope said with a laugh. Dipper looked over, pretending to be offended. "Say, I've been meaning to ask you something, Dipper."  
"What's that?"  
"Why were you up so early today?" Dipper froze. Did he dare tell her why? Or did he keep it a secret?  
"I can't tell you that," Dipper said in a mocked authority voice, "But I can tell you any other one of my secrets."  
"Okay, how about the secret of why you can't tell me that secret?"  
"Clever girl!" Dipper joked. He and Vanellope laughed. He'd shown her that movie last night, when she was getting over the events of her torture at the hands of the Puppet.  
"So..." Vanellope leaned closer. "You gonna tell me or-"  
"DIPPER! BREAK'S OVER. BACK TO WORK!" Stan called from the other room.  
"Well, looks like you'll have to tell me later." Vanellope winked before running off.  
 _Saved by the bell. Or, in this case, by the bellows of a grunkle,_ he thought to himself.

"Another day, another profit!" Stan laughed, fanning the money in his hand.  
"Hey, uh, Stan?" Ralph asked hesitantly. Stan turned around.  
"What's up, my star money-maker?"  
Ralph smiled for half a second at this comment, then returned to his original disposition. "Me, Vanellope and the gang were all wondering if we could borrow some money."  
"Borrow money?" Stan asked, surprised. This was the first time any of the Litwak crew had even mentioned the green stuff. "What for?"  
"Well," Ralph clasped his hands together. "We need some clothes. Like, pajamas."  
"And a bathing suit?" Stan asked, eyes narrowed.  
"A what?"  
"Ohmigosh," Stan rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "Fine, fine, we'll head out into town and get you guys some new duds."  
"Thanks, man! We appreciate it!"  
"Yeah, yeah, just go round up your players and we'll head out." Stan told him, getting up. After gathering everyone, the entire team went out to the mall. "Alright, so, here's the deal; Dipper, you take Felix and Ralph to get some clothes at the Mark's Wearhouse. Mabel, you, Vanellope, and Calhoun can go to, I dunno, whatever girly shop is popular these days."  
"Forever XXI?" Mabel asked.  
"Sure, whatever. Me, I'm going to go look around a bit outside and see if I can find the missing animatronic." Stan went to leave, then quickly turned around. "What animal was it again? A woodpecker?" The gang sighed.

"I still can't believe we found a dressing room that's your size, Ralph!" Felix said with a laugh.  
"Watch it, I could say the same about you." The larger man told his small counterpart. Dipper, normally incredibly amused by this sort of thing, was currently too deep in his thoughts to even hear them.  
 _How am I gonna tell Vanellope without ruining everything?_ Felix noticed Dipper's lack of interest in their bickering, and went over to him.  
"You alright, pal?"  
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, things are fine!" Dipper reassured. "I'm just... Thinking..."  
"Oh, what about?" Ralph intreguied.  
"Nothing important. Just some stuff."  
"I think I know what it is." Felix smiled. "Somebody's got a crush."  
"Wha-ha-hat?" Dipper's awkward laughing gave him away to the two game characters. "I don't have a crush!"  
"C'mon, Dipper! I'm a married man; I know this stuff perfectly well. You're showing signs of affection, right down to the honey-glow in your cheeks!" Dipper covered his cheeks with his hands, making Felix laugh. "You can share anything with us. We won't tell!"  
"You're sure?"  
"Of course! Who are we going to tell? Gideon and the puppet? You three are the only people here that we know!" Dipper thought about this for a while, then decided to spill.  
"Alright... You promise you won't tell?"  
"Or my name isn't Fix-It Felix, Jr.!"  
"Okay..." Dipper took a deep breath. "I think I have feelings for Vanellope."  
"That's so adorable!" Felix exclaimed. Ralph, on the other hand, didn't seem to think so.

"I gotta hand it to you, kiddo," Calhoun told Mabel, "This store does have a lot of clothing that I appreciate."  
"I know, right? Everyone back in Piedmont shopped here all the time!" Mabel said with a smile. "What do you think, Vanellope?" No response. "Vanellope?"  
The sugar-coated racer was staring at an advertisement of a boy and a girl holding hands, smiling as they embraced each other.  
"Gets ya thinking, doesn't it?" Mabel nudged. "Those sorta things are a big reason I'm the amazing romantic I am today!" Vanellope looked over.  
"What's that like, anyway?" Mabel's eyes shot open at this unexpected response.  
"What do you mean?"  
"What's it like to have a boyfriend? Someone who's always there? A lot of the people back in _Sugar Rush_ were girls, and the few boys that were there were too... Feminine. Even then, a lot of them didn't like me because of the whole 'glitched racer' business. Even once my coding was fixed, they thought I was mad at them, and nobody ever asked me out." This broke Mabel to hear. How could such a cutie-patootie never have had a boyfriend?  
"Well... Have you considered anyone here in Gravity Falls?"  
"I dunno, Mabel," Vanellope's eyes lowered. "We're not staying here permanently, so any relationship I have would be destined to end, anyway."  
"There's always Dipper..." Mabel said under her breath. Vanellope gave her an exhasperated sigh.  
"You're never gonna let that go, are you?"  
"Well, just think about it. You wouldn't have to get to know him, you already live with him, and I think he might have a little somethin'-somethin' for you." Vanellope looked up.  
"You think so?"  
"I know so." Mabel assured confidently. "I've shared every day of my life with Dipper. I know him inside and out, and he totally digs you." Vanellope thought about that for a moment. "The question is," Mabel continued, "Do you like him back?" Vanellope stood there, thinking long and hard, replaying all of her memories of Dipper in her head. Finally, she turned to Mabel with an answer.  
"Yeah."

"Here, Bonnie Bonnie Bonnie!" Stan cried out. "I have the rest of your friends with me! Commere, you big purple bunny!" He stood still, his hands on his hips. "Where could she be?" He thought aloud. A hand landed on his shoulder.  
"Bonnie's a boy, actually." Stan turned around, and gasped at the owner of the voice.  
"You again?! Why can't you just leave me alone, you oversized sockdoll!"  
"On the contrary, Stanford." The marionette rose. "Gideon and I are no longer working together."  
"Wait, _what?!_ "  
"Allow me to explain." It put it's hand on Stan's forehead, and a memory played in his mind.

 _"That was terrifying!" Gideon is shaking with fear. The puppet floats over to him and places its hand on his shoulder._  
 _"I am ashamed of you, Gleeful."_  
 _"Well,_ Sorry, _but next time you try to stay sane with a twelve-year-old grabbing you!" The puppet smiles at this comment._  
 _"I used to live in a pizza place, you know. Children even younger than that have grabbed me, and I never caved. You are not the mastermind I had thought you were. I may just as well side with the Mystery Shack crew."_  
 _"Fine, then!" Gideon is screaming now. "Go ahead. Be a traitor! I don't need you, anyway!"_  
 _"I'm not a traitor," The puppet is flying away. "I'm just joining a side where I'm not carrying all the weight."_

"Wow," Stan said when the memory ended, "So, you're one of us, now?"  
The marionette shook its head. "Not yet. I just need to see how you all manage yourselves. You do, however, have bonus points from Ralph and Vanellope lasting the torture for that long."  
"Uh, yeah..." Stan rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, are you able to help us find this rabbit thing?"  
"Of course," The puppet said. "I used to control the creatures, don't forget." The marionette put its hands to its temples, as though it were summoning a creature. Before too long, however, a van pulled up by them. A door opened, and four people and a dog exited.  
"This looks like the place!" One of the people said. He was a man, with a red neckerchief, a white long-sleeve shirt, and blue jeans.  
"Like, how can you be so sure?!" Another man asked, this one wearing a green tee with brown khakis.  
"Fred hasn't been wrong before, Shaggy!" The woman, wearing purple everything, with red hair held with a purple headband, scolded.  
"Rait! Rook rover rere!" The dog said, pointing to Stan and the puppet.  
"Jinkies!" The final person, a woman in a large orange sweater and think rounded glasses, exclaimed. "Scooby is right! There's the monster right there!"  
 _MONSTER?!_ The puppet grew furious. It lungeed at the woman, pinning her to the ground.  
"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A MONSTER IS!" The puppet exclaimed, preparing to attack. One of the other people from the van, Fred, knock the puppet off.  
"Like, zoinks! You okay, Velma?" Shaggy helped her up.  
"I'm fine, Shaggy," She told him, a bit shaken, "At least this'll be an easy case!"  
"Funny," the woman in purple laughed, "Usually I'm the damsel in distress!" Velma shoots her a dirty look.  
"Hilarious, Daphne." She said with a huff.  
"Hold on a minute, you meddling kids!" Stan walked over. "Who do you think you are, coming over here and angering this thing for no reason?!"  
"Perhaps, we got off on the wrong foot," Fred approached Stan and extended his hand, "My name-"  
"Yeah, yeah, I heard all your names already!" Stan replied angrily. "I demand you release that apparition immediately!"  
"Like, I'm afraid we can't!" Shaggy said, stepping in. "We've been hired to find out the culprit who destroyed the arcade!"  
"Oh, come on! The marionette would never do something like that!"  
The puppet couldn't believe this. Stanford Pines, the very man who just yesterday it had tried to destroy the family of, was defending it?! The puppet gathered everyone in a group, and placed an appendage on each of them.  
"Thank you for this, Pines, but I am afraid I am guilty as charged." Its head dropped. Stan couldn't believe this. The puppet was feeling... _Emotion?!_  
"Rust rike I said!" Scooby sneered. "I rever smell ranything wrong! I smelled rhe rarionette rat the rarcade!"  
"Then that settles it!" Daphne grabbed the puppet by the wrist. "I'm afraid we're going to have to take you to the local police station."  
"I understand," the puppet walked with shame. It stepped into the Mystery Machine without a fight and closed the door. The crew all returned to the van and drove away. Stan couldn't believe this, but he knew what he had to do. He ran into the mall to tell the team what had happened.

"What a fun day!" Mabel skipped. Calhoun walked behind Mabel, ahead of Vanellope. The young president was still deep in thought. _How am I gonna tell Dipper?_ When _am I gonna tell Dipper?_ These thoughts were interrupted by something that was music to her ears.  
It was the sound of Dipper's voice. He and the rest of the group had met up already. He walked over. "Hey, Vanellope, I gotta talk to you."  
"Uh, no he doesn't!" Ralph laughed awkwardly. "Nothing going on here." Everyone stared at him, then Dipper continued.  
"Do you want to go somewhere else?" He asked, going to grab her hand.  
"No, she doesn't!" Ralph stepped between them, grabbing Dipper's hand to shake it.  
"Stinkbrain, what's going on with you?" Vanellope asked, hands on her hips.  
"I agree, Wreck-It, this is odd, even by your standards." Calhoun looked at the nine-foot man with a quizzical look. Ralph was about to tell everyone to mind their own business when Stan ran up to them.  
"Kids! Something important just happened!"  
 _Thank goodness,_ Ralph thought, _a distraction._  
"What's going on, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked. Stan filled them in on what happened, and all of their jaws dropped.  
"So, the puppet _isn't_ a bad guy?" Felix couldn't believe this.  
"I don't know what's going on with him... Her... It... But I say we go and get it!"  
"It's our best chance of finding Bonnie," Dipper stepped forward, puffing out his chest, "So I say we do it."  
"I'm gonna wreck it!" Ralph said, putting his fists up in the pose he'd had to take numerous times in the thirty years he'd been in existence.  
"That's good enough for me." Stan turned. "They said they're going to the local jail, which isn't far away. Everybody get in the car!"  
"Stan, we didn't bring the car." Mabel informed her uncle.  
"What? We didn't?"  
"Wreck-It and I don't fit." Calhoun reminded him.  
"Oh, right. Okay, uh, you two look around the woods for Bonnie. Everyone else, come with me!" Everyone ran to their positions.

Ralph and Calhoun had been searching for a while, and no luck so far.  
"Wreck-It, can we talk for a minute?"  
"Sure, Calhoun, what's going on?"  
"What was with your attitude earlier today? Trying to block Dipper and Vanellope like that?"  
Ralph sighed. "Can you keep a secret?"  
"Of course."  
"Alright," Ralph took a deep breath, "Dipper was talking with Felix and I earlier, and he confessed his feelings for Vanellope. He was so proud of the little guy for confessing something like that, but I absolutely hated it. I know that she's had a harsh past as-is, and I'm worried that Dipper's just gonna break her heart. I know I'm not her programmer or anything, and with our homes destroyed... Well... I'm pretty much the only family she has, now." He sighed again. "Is it wrong? To try to control someone's life like that, even if you have the greatest of intentions?"  
Calhoun looked Ralph in the eyes. "Soldier, you're a good guy. Really, you are. You care about her so much, I'm starting to think you're getting too careless. If there's one thing that Brad taught me, it's that life is going to happen whether or not you're prepared. If Vanellope is ready for something as trusting as romance, well, I say have at her. Let her do her thing. And, if things go wrong, she'll be able to learn from it. She's a smart kid, you know. As for controlling someone's life, well, you just can't let that happen. In the end, it isn't your call. And, if she has to choose someone, well, I'd say Dipper is one of the best choices."  
"Yeah," Ralph admitted, "I guess you're right."  
"Now, come on." She elbowed him as she stood up. "This AWOL robot isn't going to find itself."

The puppet was sitting in the back of the Mystery Machine, thinking about what had happened. _I've always been dedicated to tracking down the killer... But am I a bad person, now? Is it wrong to give life to those who don't want it?_ Just then, a wheezing sound was heard from some nearby boxes. _Bonnie?_ The marionette began digging through the boxes until it eventually came across a disfigured rabbit, missing a face and an arm.  
 _Bonnie! Is that you?!_ The puppet asked. It didn't need to make physical contact with other machines, as it just sent messages out in a somewhat-telepathic manner.  
 _Puppet... It's been so long..._  
 _Bonnie! It's a good thing you're alright! Everyone's been gathered. We've been searching for you for days!_  
 _I can't move..._  
 _Why not?_  
 _They took away my face... They took away my arm... It just wasn't fair..._ The puppet thought for a moment at this. Was there anything it could do? It's not like machinery for an outdated robotic bunny animatronic were easy to come by.  
 _Okay, don't worry. They've got to be in these boxes somewhere._ The puppet began digging through the boxes even more dedicated than before. _If I can just find Bonnie's missing parts... Then we could escape!_ A bit of digging later, a face was found, but the arm was still missing.  
 _Here,_ the puppet reapplied Bonnie's face. _How is that? Can you see better, now?_  
 _Yeah, I'm getting there._ Bonnie's strength was coming back. _What would they have used my arm, for?_  
 _I have an idea. Hold on a minute._ The puppet tried sending out another telepathic notice to Bonnie's missing arm. _I can't find it!_ It used a nearby chair to stand itself up. _I'm sorry._  
 _Marionette! That's it!_  
 _What?_  
 _Look at the chair!_ The puppet turned around. Bonnie's missing arm was being used as a refurbishment on the chair! Using its tapered fingers, the marionette slid its thumb under the arm and pulled it out. It brought it over and applied it to Bonnie's shoulder.  
 _Is that better?_  
 _Yeah, I'm ready to go!_ Bonnie stood. _What are we gonna do to get out?_  
The puppet turned around to stare at the passengers, the entire Mystery Team was too much to overpower, and even if it attacked, it would be easily done-in by the dog.  
 _The dog..._ It thought. It turned to face Bonnie. _I got it!_ The puppet began to do something it had done numerous times before.  
It began to possess its victim.

The team was panting, but finally they made it to the police station.  
"Okay, everyone keep a look out for the Mystery Machine!" Felix started to search, and everyone followed suit. After a while, they were having trouble finding anything.  
"Curse these majestic spacious parking lots!" Stan yelled, shaking his fist.  
"Keep it down, Stan! There's the van right there!" Dipper pointed, and sure enough, the Mystery Machine was... Pulling over?  
"I don't get it," Mabel tilted her head to the side. "The station is right here! Why are they stopping here?" They looked on for a while, unable to hear what was going on.  
The crew all got out, all of them apparently yelling at Scooby-Doo. Eventually, while the Mystery team was occupied, the onlookers saw the puppet floating towards them with a large animatronic bunny.  
"Hey, is that Bonnie?" Vanellope asked. "Way to go, puppet!"  
The two attractions arrived, but didn't stop to chat.  
"Run. Now!" Bonnie instructed. The Mystery Shack crew didn't hesitate to follow his orders."

Eventually, they were all back at the Shack, after informing Ralph and Calhoun of their victory.  
"So, that's why I destroyed the arcade. To keep you from returning to your home-worlds." Bonnie said, acting as a medium for the puppet so it wouldn't have to touch everyone there. "I hope you can all forgive me."  
"Puppet..." Calhoun said, "You destroyed our homes, tortured our friends, and tried to take over the world for your own selfish purposes. That being said, you put all of that aside and tried to right your wrongs, and for that I give you credit. Plus, possessing a dog to make it urinate on someone is rather amusing." She winked. "Good job, soldier."  
Everyone agreed with her comment. The puppet let go of Bonnie, everything needed to be said having been said.  
"Alright, you two," Stan stood up, "Time to go down to the bunker and join the rest of your team. Everyone else, you should probably all get ready for bed." Everyone, tired from the days events, were more than happy to oblige. Later that night, Dipper was sitting in the living room, studying the wheel and the journal, trying to find some sort of connection.  
"How is it going?" Vanellope asked, catching Dipper off-guard. "Oh, hey Vanellope. Things are looking up, but I have noticed something odd."  
"Oh, yeah? And what would that be?"  
"None of the animatronics, puppet included, seem to be on here. The carrot _might_ be Bonnie, but I don't see how-" Dipper's thoughts were interrupted by Vanellope grabbing his hand. They each looked at one another, realizing they felt the same way about the other. "How long?" They asked, giggling at how synced it was.  
"For a while, I believe." Ralph was leaning against the doorway, watching what was happening.  
"Oh, uh, hey, Ralph. How long have you been there?" Dipper asked.  
"I could give the same answer as before." Ralph entered the room and sat down, offering the kids to sit in his giant lap, to which they did.  
"Dipper... Kid... I want to apologize about how I'd was behaving at the mall earlier. That was uncool. I guess I'm just a bit overprotective of Vanellope, but the truth is, that's not my business. If she wants to start dating someone, then, I'm glad it's you, Dipper." They all smiled at each other. "Now, I'm off to bed. Don't stay up too late, okay? I'm pretty sure Stan has our adventure for tomorrow planned already." He winked and left, leaving the kids alone. They looked at each other, thinking, lost in their eyes...


	4. Trapped

Part 4: Trapped

Freddy's servos jolted up. Jittering and shaking, he awoke with a yawn.  
"Good morning, buddy." It was Stanford, coming down to turn the Fazbear crew on as usual.  
"Hey there, Stan!" Freddy smiled. The puppet had been helping Stan to fix the stutters that plagued them earlier.  
"I'm a bit busy today, Fred. Mind turning everyone else on for me?" He asked, climbing the stairs out of the bunker.  
"No problem, Stan! Happy to help!" Freddy turned to his buddies, turning them on. Stan stopped walking and looked on, observing. Every time Freddy or any of the animatronics had to do something to each other, they always did it in the same order: Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, Freddy, Marionette. Sure enough, Freddy turned everyone else on in this order. Stan left, deciding it probably wasn't worth thinking about. After Freddy turned everyone on, he moved over to the puppet's box and turned off its radio, waking it up.  
 _What?_ It asked Freddy, sending him a wireless message.  
 _Time to get up for the day._  
 _For what purpose?_  
 _Stan might need us._ Chica stepped in. She usually acted as the peacekeeper in the group, resolving any conflicts they might have with each other.  
 _Aye,_ Foxy added. _I feel we be gettin' awfuly close to findin' this author. We all be needin' to put in the effort._  
The puppet sighed. _You're all right. I'm sorry. Things have just been really tough ever since... You know..._  
Bonnie walked over to the marionette and gave it a comforting pat on the shoulder. _It wasn't fair what that guy did, puppet. Someday, we'll have our chance to get our revenge. We'll make sure he knows our pain. But, until that happens, it seems we'll have to help everyone we can._  
 _Come on, guys._ Freddy motioned. _We need to get ready for our new jobs. Stanford wants us to walk around and amuse the children._  
 _I'd rather not._ The puppet responded snarkily.  
 _You can hide in your box and scare kids walking by._ Chica told it flatly. They all exited the bunker, and pretended to no longer be sentient.

It had been a few hours into the work day, and already Foxy had made three kids cry by popping out of the newly-remade Pirate's Cove.  
"Foxy!" Chica said, playing more prerecorded messages. "Why can't you be nice?"  
"Yar har har, Chica, my lady! Being mean is so much fun!"  
"But you won't make any friends by being mean, Foxy!" Bonnie's voicebox added.  
"And if you're mean, we won't let you join the band!" Freddy played his line.  
"These animatronics are probably the greatest moneymakers I've ever had!" Stan laughed. "So many suckers are dropping dough just to see the pirate fox!" All of the patrons within the Shack laughed at this, confusing Stanford, who left to count his profit in peace.  
One customer, however, wasn't laughing. He left the Shack in silence, removing his disguise to reveal pale white hair and smooth skin.  
"So, that's how Stan uses those creatures after they leave me, huh?!" The little man was enraged. "I'll show that stupid Puppet to change sides!" Gideon stormed off, heading back to his Tent of Telepathy, his plan already formulated.

Gideon raced home and booted up his computer. Hurriedly typing and clicking, he finally reached what he needed to in order to put his plan into fruition. Loading up his online game and unleashing ultimate power, he was then greeted by a golden bunny-like creature with beady eyes and a destroyed smile. Gideon's eyes narrowed and he smirked, his plots finally ready to begin.  
"Ready for your mission, SpringTrap?"

 _Oh, no._ The puppet stopped moving, the kids being incredibly confused.  
 _What's the matter, marionette?_ Freddy asked wirelessly, the children and parents unable to tell.  
 _Freddy, I sense something. Another animatronic has been released into our world._  
 _Which... Which one?_  
 _The only one I fear... Make a diversion. Tell Stan about this immediately._  
 _Alright..._ Freddy tried not to let his fear show. He played his emergency exit voice recording.  
"Hey, kids! Are you having fun here at The Mystery Shack?"  
They cheered in response. Freddy's automated laugh played.  
"Glad to hear it, buddies! Freddy needs to go for a minute, then it's time for even more fun!" Freddy turned and walked out, knocking on Stan's office.  
"Freddy? What are you doing out here?" Stan asked gruffly, counting his money.  
"We have some bad news..." The bear filled the man of mystery in on what had happened. When he finished, Stan stopped in his tracks. After a few minutes of silence, he told Freddy, in the sternest of voices,  
"Evacuate everybody. Now."

After a few minutes, everybody was out of the building. The Mystery Shack team, the Core Four, and the animatronics were all gathered around the main shack area.  
"Grunkle Stan, what's going on?" Mabel asked.  
"It would be best to let the puppet explain that one..." Chica extended her arm, and the marionette wrapped its hand around her.  
"Back in our game," Chica said, mediuming the puppet, "There was a man. We never knew his name, but we always called him the Yellow Guy."  
"The Yellow Guy?" Ralph asked, confused.  
"His skin was a sickly yellow colour." It explained. "He was the one who killed us. I was the first victim."  
"You guys were killed?" Felix was getting concerned. The puppet sighed.  
"Yes... I wasn't a kid, though. My real name... I can hardly say it without tearing up... My real name is... Bill Cipher."

Gideon and SpringTrap were almost to the Mystery Shack when the animatronic bunny stopped in its tracks.  
"What's wrong with you?!" Gideon yelled. "We're almost there."  
"Puppet..." SpringTrap wheezed.  
"The puppet? Speak up!"  
"Puppet... Can't match... Too strong..."  
"Hmm..." Gideon thought. _How to get the puppet out of the way..._ An idea came to him.  
"Alright, SpringTrap, you win. We'll strike later, once the puppet is in its box. I'll distract it while you do what you need to."  
"Okay..." It wheezed in response.

"Bill Cipher?" Dipper asked, pulling out his journal. "I've heard of you. Says here I can summon you by simply saying, 'backwards message' backwards."  
"Don't do it." Bill said. "If I leave this form, so will my sanity. I will turn, and nothing will be able to stop me. This body is an inhibitor. If I lose it, my sanity will go with me."  
"Well, Cipher," Calhoun stood up, "What's the plan for this 'SpringTrap' character?"  
"Everybody stay up and team up. If anything happens- anything at all- scream."  
"That'll be easy for Dipper! Hey-o!" Mabel laughed.  
"Cut it out Mabel! I'm not that big a scaredy cat! Right, Vanellope?" Dipper crossed his arms, then turned around when Vanellope didn't say anything. "...Vanellope?"  
She looked at him and smiled awkwardly. Tears nearly came to his eyes.  
"Vanellope..."  
"No time for this now!" Bill yelled. "We have to prepare for SpringTrap's arrival! Everyone split up into groups of three. Everyone should have one person with a journal and one animatronic on their team."  
After a while of fidgeting, the teams were composed of Stan, Freddy, and Felix, then of Ralph, Mabel, Calhoun, and Chica, then finally of Dipper, Vanellope, Foxy, and Bonnie.  
"I'll stand watch in my box." Bill Cipher informed everyone. "I'll stop the music if SpringTrap comes by."  
"Wait!" Dipper yelled. "What if we need to talk to you? Chica has to leave, and once you let go of her, we won't be able to hear you!"  
"I don't know, Dipper." Bill admitted. "You'll just have to listen closely to the music." He let go of Chica, and floated to the box, getting in.  
"Good... Good luck, everyone..." Chica said, being able to talk on her own again. Stan's team guarded the front doors, Ralph's guarded the back, and Dipper's team split into pairs upstairs, with Dipper and Bonnie covering the left and Vanellope and Foxy taking the right.

Hours passed, and there was no movement whatsoever.  
"This is getting tiring. I have no idea how I'm gonna stay awake..." Stan started to drift off. Felix jumped up and smacked him in the head with his hammer, perking him up. "That feels great! I'm ready for anything!"  
"Hopefully you are." Freddy told him. "SpringTrap is nobody to take lightly..."  
"I've been meaning to ask, Fred," Felix began. "Who were you before the attacks?"  
"Not now, Felix." Freddy responed, monotone. "I need to focus." Stan and Felix looked at each other. Stan shrugged and went back to his business.

"It's Been So Long!" Mabel groaned. "When will we reach The End?"  
Calhoun looked over. "What are you going on about?"  
Chica groaned. "Those are some of the songs that we perform onstage. She's trying to entertain herself."  
"Think you could hum a few bars?" Ralph asked. "It's getting a bit boring around here."  
"I'd love to, but we don't have the time to do that right now. We need to watch out for the Yellow Guy."  
"Who is this 'Yellow Guy,' anyway? What's his name?" Mabel inquired.  
"We don't know." Chica told her. "We still don't even know what he looked like."

"How could Vanellope not stick up for me like that, Bonnie?" Dipper asked. He looked over, and saw Bonnie's face was missing. He screamed, and Bonnie replaced his head.  
"Because of stuff like that."  
"Your FACE was missing!"  
"I'm also a large animatronic rabbit created for the sole purpose of entertaining children."  
"...Still scary..." Dipper defended himself.  
"Look, pal," Bonnie started. "I don't know a whole lot about girls, but what I do know is that they like guys who are fearless. If you want to get her to like you, you have to be less... Y'know... Flamboyant."  
"A tad offensive, but do you think you could help me out with that?"  
"Right now?" Bonnie looked around. "We can't. If you scream, everybody will rush over and think SpringTrap is here. I'll help you later, but for now we have to focus."  
 _Great,_ Dipper shoved his hands in his pockets, annoyed. _Not only does the girl of my dreams think I'm a total baby, I can't even work on being more confident for her._

Foxy and Vanellope tip-toed down the halls, barely talking and moving as quietly as possible as to be able to hear Bill's music box. After a while, Vanellope broke the silence.  
"You probably think I'm a real jerk, huh, Foxy?"  
"Argh?" Foxy questioned.  
"Not sticking up for Dipper when he needed me... I really shoulda been there."  
"Aye, 'tis true," Foxy responded, "But ye can't help what yeh feel inside."  
"What do you feel inside?"  
"Me soul scrapin' against me metallic body tryin' its darndest to escape." He said flatly.  
"Oh, yeah, that would make sense." Vanellope scratched the back of her head, feeling silly for making such a huge fuss over her problems when Foxy's were much worse. When she finished, she just stayed while listening to the silence.  
Then it struck her.  
 _It was silent. The music had stopped playing._  
"Foxy... I think the box-"  
"Ye be right. Move along!" Foxy let out a loud screech to alert the others and ran to aid Bill.

Gideon was so proud of himself. Jumping through the window to sit on TOP of the box, trapping that traitor Marionette inside? Genius!  
"Bet you wish you hadn't switched sides now, huh, Sock Monkey?"  
Bill was really in trouble now. With nobody around for him to touch, he couldn't communicate with anybody. To make matters worse, he could feel the evergrowing presence of-  
"SpringTrap!" Gideon called out. "Time to start your rein of terror!"  
SpringTrap entered the room, wheezing out a laugh. He walked over to the Puppet, who he remembered.  
"Surprised to see me, Bill? Like the moths in your fabric, I keep coming back! Three years I spent alone in the frozen, indie-game wastes!" He smacked the box. "And I missed you! So, I've organized a little gathering. Like a birthday party except... The exact opposite."  
The animatronics and their respective human counterparts entered the room.  
"And look! All of your friends are here!" SpringTrap teased. "You are so _very_ popular! Let's start handing out the presents!" He pulled out an object that baffled everyone in the room.  
"What is that?" Dipper asked, his eyes narrowing. "Looks like some sort of... Phone?"  
"No," Mabel responded, her hands on her chin, "I'm pretty sure it's a banana."  
"You're not just wrong, you're stupid." Stanford added. "It's clearly a taser."  
"It doesn't matter what it is, my friends," SpringTrap walked towards Freddy, "It's what it does that matters!" He rammed it into Freddy, who struggled as the object began to affect his processors. Freddy made an odd sound, and then he and all the other animatronics collapsed onto the floor, motionless.  
"No!" Vanellope screamed. She looked at everyone.  
"Looks like I win!" Gideon laughed, jumping off of the box. "Which means all of you will have to pay for Mabel's mistake!"  
"Mistake?" Mabel stopped panicking and looked over at Gideon, confused. "What mistake?"  
"You completely forgot to- RUN!"  
Everybody was confused, until they looked down and saw Bill clinging on to Gideon's ankle.  
"Bill!" Felix yelled.  
"Get out, now! I have to ditch this vessel, and I don't want to hurt you guys! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Gideon started to twitch, regaining control of himself. The Puppet began to twitch and shake, until eventually a large triangle with a top hat and a single eye came out of him.  
"Wow, oh, wow! Gravity Falls, it's good to be back!"  
"Who are you, some sort of woodpecker?" Stan asked.  
"No, pal! I'm Bill Cipher! Dream demon, deceased soul, you know the drill. I'm here to reactivate what should be!" It was clear to everyone that Bill was no longer their friend.  
"Well, whatever you're gonna do, you won't get far with it!" Calhoun yelled before opening fire. The bullets just went through Bill, damaging the other side of the wall.  
"Aw, that's adorable. I'd crush your soul for trying that, but I'm in too good a mood! Now, though, it's time to reboot the systems!"  
Bill snapped his fingers, and the animatronics rose from the floor. Their eyes were pitch black, and they didn't seem to be sentient anymore.  
"There's a reason these things were thrown away, you know! They don't exactly like bare endoskeletons!" Bill laughed psychotically. "Well, time to go! I'll be watching you!" He disappeared, leaving the animatronics under SpringTrap's control.  
"Isn't this nice? The animatronics once again decide to hunt humans! This truly is rich, my friends! Attack, you mechanical animals!" The animatronics struggled to move, but eventually they set their sights on the group.  
"Bare endoskeletons aren't allowed in Freddy Fazbear's Pizza! Time to fix that!" Freddy cracked his knuckles whilst advancing towards Stan.  
"Har har har! No weapons in the Pirate's Cove, lassie!" Foxy began to attack Calhoun.  
"Big boys need to eat lotsa vegetables! Time for a diet!" Bonnie creeped towards Felix.  
"Hey there, Big Boy! You're kinda cute. Maybe I can convince the others to keep you around here a bit longer?" Chica made a bee-line for Ralph.  
As panicked as everyone else was, Dipper, Mabel, and Vanellope realized that nothing was attacking them.  
" _Guys,_ " Dipper whispered to the others, " _The animatronics don't attack children!_ "  
" _Great! What do we do now?_ " Mabel asked.  
" _Let's take out Babyface over there!_ " Vanellope motioned towards Gideon, who was still recovering from the Puppet's contact. Vanellope crawled over to him and pulled out a cherry bomb.  
 _Might as well have some fun with this one,_ she thought to herself.

"Stay back, Fred! I'll knock you out!" Stan whipped out his brass knuckles and prepared to smack the oversized bear.  
"Hand over the weapon, and we can all get back to having fun!" Foxy's pirate accent was beginning to wear thin as his spirit was no longer in control of him.  
"I just want to help you grow big and strong like your old pal Bonnie Bunny!" Felix was desperately hitting Bonnie with his hammer, trying to reverse the effects, but it was no use. It seemed like none of their powers worked against Bill's magic.  
"Uh... I don't want to hit a lady, ma'am!" Ralph backed away from Chica, who motioned something with her hands that almost made Ralph lose his lunch. He was trying to remain in control of the situation when he smelled something familiar. "Everybody duck!" He yelled, to which they all followed without question.  
 **BOOM!  
** The cherry bomb exploded, knocking out Gideon and burning away some of SpringTrap's costume. The sound was loud enough for the souls of the children to begin to regain control over their animatronic suits, and in no time they were turning against SpringTrap.

"Let's see who this guy really is!" Freddy took SpringTrap's mask off, revealing a man with sickly yellow skin, black hair on the sides of his head, and a big, "N" on his forehead.  
"Argh? Who might ye be?" Foxy asked, scratching his head.  
"I'm your murderer, remember? Dr. Neo Cortex! I needed an animal army to rule the world, and when that wretched bandicoot turned, I figured if I couldn't have any real animals, mechanical ones would be the next best thing!"  
"I oughta knock your lights out, buddy!" Bonnie stepped up aggressively. Before he could swing, a familiar voice called out to them.  
"Hold it!" The gang all turned to see an old friend walking towards the mad doctor.  
"Spyro? What are you doing here?" Dipper asked.  
"I had a feeling I wasn't done in Gravity Falls!" Spyro said, walking towards Cortex.  
"That doesn't really answer-"  
"No, no," Stan cupped his hand over Dipper's mouth. "This is gonna be good."

"Do you really have to leave?" Mabel asked, holding back tears.  
"We're afraid so, hun." Chica said with a frown. "It's just too dangerous for us to stay here. We couldn't bear to risk hurting you guys again!"  
"And don't worry," Freddy said optimistically. "Spyro has a great home for us in the Dragon Realms!" Dipper looked over at the portal they were going to enter. He thought he saw an orange figure appear, but wrote it off as his tired mind playing tricks.  
"We'll write to you guys. Promise." Bonnie leaned down and gave the twins and Vanellope a hug. After everyone said their goodbyes, the animatronics stepped through the portal and left, but not before some final words from Foxy.  
"Rumor has it that the Dragon Realms may be under attack soon! Gives us something to do, huh? Yar har har!" Foxy laughed, saluted, and stepped through the portal. After that, the portal faded away, and the gang was stuck in the Shack by themselves.  
"Welp, I dunno about you guys, but I'm gonna hit the hay. Got a lot to do tomorrow. They may have agreed to take Cortex and Gideon back to the Dragon Realms, but there's still a lot to clean. See ya!" Stan said before walking up the stairs. Everyone followed suit. After a while, everyone was asleep and the house was quiet. However, outside the house, an orange figure was furiously taking notes, before pulling out a measuring tape and snapping it back, fading away.

 _Author's Note: I apologize for the absurd waiting time for this chapter, and I hope that this compensates. If not, then everyone should be happy to know that a spin-off of this series, under the SpyroxFNAF topic, is in development starring what will happen to the Five Nights gang in the Dragon Realms. Stay tuned, and happy readings!_


End file.
